VIDEO: Player Interviews - Jan. 15 | VIDEO: One-on-One with James Franklin
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It looked and sounded like the first day of
school as Nittany Lion players began filing into the locker room at Lasch
Building around 6:20 p.m. on Sunday night in advance of the team's first squad
meeting with new head coach James Franklin at 7 p.m.
Guys were chatting, giving one another a hard time and genuinely happy to see each
other. The team walked across the hall from
the locker room to the squad room shortly before 6:50 p.m., sat down in the amphitheater-style
seats by position and awaited the arrival of its new head coach.
When Franklin walked in and stood at the top of the room, the players stopped
talking. Franklin spoke up and joked
that while the group waited for a couple more people they could still
talk. The players chuckled and went back
to conversing and shaking hands with guys they hadn't seen in three weeks during
winter break.
"Everybody was really excited," cornerback Jordan Lucas said. "When we met up in the locker room before the
meeting, it was like a family reunion."
Following a brief introduction from Director of Athletics Dave Joyner, Coach
Franklin walked down the stairs to the front of the room before his team at
6:56 p.m. The players clapped and
provided a warm reception before giving the new had coach their undivided
attention.
Franklin's opening message was simple.
He told the group that he wants the team to be a close-knit family that
is going to do everything in its power to outwork everyone.
"We're going to work extremely hard," Franklin said. "You know, there is not going to be a program
or a coach in the country that's going to outwork us."
When the Nittany Lion players heard that
statement, they were ready to get into the weight room and start working.
"He came in and had a lot of energy when we first spoke with him," Lucas
said. "He let us know his vision. We're all excited and ready to start winter
workouts."
"I love it. He brings a lot of intensity
to the program, picking up right where we left off," quarterback Christian
Hackenberg said. "I think he is the perfect
guy for the job. We're really excited to
start getting him in here more once recruiting is over and start focusing on
some ball."
Franklin had each player on the team stand and introduce himself so that he
could put a face to a name and begin the process of creating a tight bond between
everyone in the program.
"I just think he is a big relationship guy," tight end Adam Breneman said. "He's very personable. He's very charismatic. I think he's going to be great in recruiting,
and I think he's going to build great relationships with all of us."
Regardless of a player's position on the depth chart, he is going to have a
role in Coach Franklin's program. He
made that clear in the team meeting. He
needs everyone to contribute to make the Nittany Lions a strong, cohesive unit.
"I really liked how he assigned everyone a role, whether you are a fourth-team
guy or a starter," linebacker Mike Hull said.
"We need everyone to pull together in order to win."
A passionate coach in every sense of the word, Franklin set the tone for his
tenure at Penn State during his introductory press conference last
Saturday. Determined to be the make Penn
State the most successful program it can be, Franklin won't accept anything less
than hard work and a positive attitude.
"I'm just going to coach and love these kids in this program and help them
develop into the young men that they want to be," Franklin said. "That's our focus. Focus on the things we can control, work hard
every day to develop the best student athletes we can, develop the best
football program we possibly can, and be a positive part of this
community."
"We knew he was a coach of determination," defensive end C.J. Olaniyan
said. "We know he is going to try and
get the best out of us."
The next step for the Nittany Lion players is the start of the winter
conditioning program. The new strength
and conditioning staff is expected to be in place soon, and the Lions are eager
to commence preparations for 2014.
"I'm chomping at the bit right now," said Hackenberg. "We have a lot of guys coming back. We have a lot of young talent that played
last year. We're going to get after it
in the weight room."
Follow GoPSUsports.com's Tony Mancuso on Twitter @GoPSUTony
Franklin, Nittany Lions Ready to Work
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